Spring 2000
The Foundation of the Church
Wade E Taylor

"There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus,
a ruler of the Jews: the same came to Jesus by
night" John 3:1-2A.

He came at night, not only so other Pharisees would not see him, but because he was coming from the spiritual darkness of the religious system of which he was a part; which had rejected the manifest glory and presence of the Lord. Nicodemus recognized that Jesus had something which the Pharisees had long before lost, which he desired and came seeking.

The Old Testament Church, which Nicodemus represented, began in a visitation of manifest glory. Moses was called up into the mount by the Lord, who came down to openly make Himself known to the people.

"And the LORD said unto Moses, Go to the people, and
sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash
their clothes, and be ready against the third day: for
the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of
all the people upon mount Sinai" Exodus 19:10-11.

"And it came to pass on the third day in the morning,
that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick
cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet
exceeding loud; so that all the people that were in
the camp trembled.

“And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp
to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part
of the mount.

"And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because
the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke
thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the
whole mount quaked greatly.”

“And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long,
and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God
answered him by a voice" Exodus 19:16-19.

The Lord came before the people in a manifestation of His glory, and in their presence, spoke with Moses. Notice that the people trembled, or shook as a result of this powerful manifestation of His presence.

The intention of the Lord was that He would make Himself known and lead the people in His manifested presence. They had been prepared for this day while they were in the wilderness, by the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. However the people reacted and rejected His manifested presence.

"And all the people saw the thunderings, and the
lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the
mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they
removed, and stood afar off.”

“And they said to Moses, Speak thou with us, and
we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest
we die." Exodus 19:18-19.

Israel rejected being led by the Lord Himself, and rather choose to be led through His voice speaking to Moses, as their representative. Because He was rejected, the Lord withdrew into a ten by ten cubical, the Holy of Holies, in which He was isolated from the people, and into which the High Priest came once each year to hear from Him.

In effect, Israel said, “We do not want anything to do with the manifestation of the power of God. We do not want to shake, tremble, or fall on the floor, in His presence. The result of this was the gradual, total degeneration of the original intention of the Lord into a liturgical system devoid of the presence of the Lord, and of His anointing.

Thus, Nicodemus could only see from an earthly perspective, and he related that which Jesus represented to be merely a different liturgical form.

“Nicodemus saith to Him, How can a man be born
when he is old? Can he enter the second time into
his mother’s womb, and be born?”

But Jesus clearly rejected this by telling him that what He was offering could only be obtained by being birthed into a higher order of spiritual life and experience.

“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say to you,
Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit,
he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.”

“That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that
which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” John 3:4-6.

Because Israel had rejected their day of visitation, Jesus came to represent a completely new day and time. He came not only to die for the sins of the world, but also to make a way for the restoration of the manifest presence and glory of the Lord, which would be restored to those who would respond to Him by being birthed into this new realm of spiritual life.

Therefore, just before He died upon the cross, Jesus revealed His manifest glory to the three within the twelve, those who would have the capacity to receive and understand.

“And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John
His brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain
apart, and was transfigured before them: and His face
did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the
light.” Matt 17:1-2.

“After six days” tells us that this experience is to relate to the end of the sixth day, the end of the Church age, and to the birthing of the Kingdom age, in which His manifested glory would be present.

As the time for the return of our Lord approaches, He is beginning to reveal His manifested glory in visitation. Because He had been rejected by His people, the Lord is presently revealing, in a limited way, His manifest presence in order to see if He will be welcomed and accepted.

Therefore, people are again beginning to tremble and shake, just as those of Israel, who saw the manifested glory of the Lord. And as with them, there are those today who are saying, "We want no part of this. We are satisfied with our quiet controlled services.”

But the changes that are necessary for us to be made ready for the end-time requires that we experience His glory.

“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass
the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same
image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit
of the Lord.” II Cor 3:18.

The Word clearly tells us that we are changed IN and BY His glory. We can expect to experience His manifested glory, not because we are special, but because we are needy and in great need of being changed.

The greatest changes in our spiritual lives and experience, both personal and corporate, will be accomplished only in His manifested presence. May we come quickly to this understanding, and again stand in the presence of His manifested glory.